Urea prill tower incident

In a Fertilizer manufacturing factory urea manufactured in prill tower passes through a grizzly (a stainless steel sieve) and falls on a conveyor. To facilitate repair works to be carried out to a grizzly bar, two metal rods were placed above the grizzly bar and this was covered by a tarpaulin sheet.Right below this arrangement welding of grizzly bar was carried out. When the welding process was being carried out heavy lumps of urea started falling down from the prill tower and fell on the iron plates placed over the grizzly bar. The iron plates along with heavy lumps of urea fell on the workers working right below the covered tarpaulin sheet and they sustained head Injuries and died.
Causes :
The temporary arrangements made above the grizzly bar to facilitate welding work was not of a strong and rigid construction to withstand falling of heavy lumps of urea from prill tower.

Ref:DGFASLI




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